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Everyone’s a Winner with Good Sportsmanship

Published On: May 14 2012 09:02:28 PM EDT

Parents have been scoring lots of points asking me questions about how to teach their children sportsmanship, or in the case of girls, sportswomanship. Well let me see if I can make everyone a winner on this topic this week.

Sportsmanship is when teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, and even parents treat each other with respect during an athletic competition. It has been found that being a good sport on the field carries over into life situations in the classroom or other non-athletic situations and earns the respect of others not even involved in a sport. Where do children learn the do’s and don’ts of good sportsmanship? From us, as adults.

Often we see problems with sportsmanship as our children get older and move from focusing on fun and fundamentals to winning at all costs. The best coaches and parents encourage children to play fair, have fun, and concentrate on helping the team overall while working on their own individual skills.

If you want your child to grow up and stay a good sport, here are some suggestions:

Parents: if you are not the coach, don’t try to coach from the sidelines. Shout words of encouragement rather than discouragement from the sidelines. If you have a problem with a call by a ref, or the behavior of another parent, talk it over with the coach or ref away from your own child. If you are your own child’s coach, don’t be harder on your child than anyone else or play favorites. When a game is over, focus not on who won or lost, but how your child felt during the game. If they are worried about a skill, work with them and with the coach to help strengthen that skill. Be courteous to parents on the other team and congratulate them with your child next to you if their team wins. Point out good sportsmanship in professional athletes that you see on television, and talk with your child about the bad examples you also see and how they might have been prevented. Be sure to have as much fun at the game as your child should be having. Finally remember it’s your children, not you, playing the sport. Make sure they have chosen the sport out of their own interest, not just because you played it yourself or because of your personal interest in the sport.

Hopefully tips like this will make everyone a winner when it comes to realizing the importance of teaching and reinforcing good sportsmanlike behavior with your child.

Lewis First, M.D., is chief of Pediatrics at Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. You can also catch "First with Kids" weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and WPTZ Channel 5, or visit the First with Kids video archives at http://www.FletcherAllen.org/firstwithkids

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